Crafting an Immortal Race with Daily Hexagrams

Chapter 498: Chapter 225: Sword Opening Celestial Gate, Underworld Reappears (Part 2)

”Master...”

Upon hearing this, the Golden Toad obsequiously approached with a fawning face.

For the past half year, it constantly wished to devour these common people to significantly enhance its cultivation.

Unfortunately, Shen Li had continuously refused to agree.

Now that a disciple from the Clan Court had spoken up, it immediately saw an opportunity.

Bang!

Just as it neared, Shen Li sent it flying with a kick, sending it rolling a considerable distance away.

The Golden Toad struggled to get up, looking at Shen Li with grievance but dared not utter another word.

The Clan Court disciple who had suggested executing the common people from the four towns witnessed this scene and grew even more anxious.

However, Shen Li did not rebuke him.

The plight of the common people from the four towns was evidently beyond her control.

She had also considered execution, but the potential impact on the Shen Family’s reputation had kept her from making a decision.

”Keep them detained and do not act rashly.”

After some contemplation, Shen Li deeply glanced at the mountain cave and turned to head down the mountain.

The two demons hurriedly followed.

Along the way, the Golden Toad muttered under its breath about not being able to feast on those common people.

As Shen Li walked slowly, she suddenly halted.

Frightened, the Golden Toad following behind immediately fell silent and subtly moved further away, fearing another kick.

”What if these common people were snatched away by other powers?”

A seemingly self-directed question came from Shen Li’s mouth.

The Golden Toad pondered for a long time before realizing it was being addressed.

”Master wants to give them to other powers?”

Shen Li sighed softly, ”Grandfather and the others always taught us to treat the common people under Shen Family’s rule with benevolence.”

”These people must not die at the Shen Family’s hands, leaving them a handle.”

After her monologue, she immediately returned to the Clan Court.

...

The leaves on the mountain turned from green to yellow, and then green again...

In the blink of an eye, the spirit rice in the fields of the Western Wilderness reached harvest season.

In three years, the Shen Family gathered a large number of common people and employed numerous cultivators to help, finally constructing two massive cities in the Western Wilderness.

One of these massive cities was named Flame Lake City, after Flame Lake Ridge.

The other stood between Flame Lake City and Yunshui City, named Zhen Nan City by Shen Chongming.

Clearly, this city embodied his ambition to control the Southern Border.

The construction of Zhen Nan City and Flame Lake City greatly expanded the Shen Family’s sphere of influence.

Especially Zhen Nan City, after its completion, Mu Chang and Mu Yan led a group of Western Wilderness soldiers to ally with numerous prairie tribes within the Western Wilderness.

The common people of these prairie tribes had long been tormented by the Great Witch Mountain Demon Cultivators.

With the emergence of Zhen Nan City, each tribe, without hesitation, abandoned their age-old way of life and accepted the Shen Family’s offer, relocating to settle in Zhen Nan City.

Inside the main hall of Zhen Nan City’s City Lord’s manor.

Shen Wenxing, his father, Mu Chang, Mu Yan, and others gathered together.

”Patriarch, Elder Patriarch.”

Mu Chang slightly cupped his hands and spoke, ”Everything in Zhen Nan City is on track; all that’s left is the grand array.”

The entire specification of Zhen Nan City is modeled after Yunshui City.

Standing in the Western Wilderness, it risks harassment from the Great Witch Mountain at any time, making the City Defense Array vitally important.

Mentioning the City Defense Array, Shen Chongming showed signs of difficulty.

”Years ago, the Elder from Danzhou, Elder Fu Yang, was invited by my third uncle, and his whereabouts are currently unknown.”

”If we can’t find him, setting up arrays for Zhen Nan City and Flame Lake City will be troublesome.”

Shen Wenxing tapped the document before him, pondered with a stern face, then asked, ”Have people been sent to locate Elder Fu Yang?”

Shen Chongming nodded, ”Three years ago, when we decided to construct Zhen Nan City and Flame Lake City, I had already sent people to search for him.”

”But due to the numerous mountains between the Void Combination Corridor Array and the Western Wilderness, those sent out searched for a long time without finding any trace of Elder Fu Yang.”

Pausing briefly, Shen Chongming rose and continued, ”The arrays for Flame Lake City and Zhen Nan City are of utmost importance.”

”In two years, the second great harvest will begin.”

”If the arrays cannot be laid, Flame Lake City will be easy to deal with.”

”But Zhen Nan City contains hundreds of thousands of common people from the Western Wilderness, making any mishap disastrous.”

Shen Wenxing silently nodded.

The common people in Zhen Nan City, painstakingly gathered by Mu Chang and the others from the vast prairies, included young talents well-suited for body cultivation, who, with training, could become excellent soldiers to defend and expand territories.

”What do you plan to do?” Shen Wenxing asked, lifting a teacup before him.

Shen Chongming turned to glance at his father, then bowed his head in contemplation before cupping his hands, ”Father, please oversee the family matters; I plan to visit Yunzhong County City.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Wenxing paused his teacup mid-air, frowning at him, ”Are you thinking of asking Elder Jiang from Luoxia Mountain for help?”

”Isn’t this move too risky?”

In the past, a consensus was reached between the Shen Family, Luoxia Mountain, and the six major Golden Core powers of the Southern Border, agreeing that Golden Core Realm cultivators would not interfere in the affairs of Yangnao Land.

Inviting Jiang Xiuqi for help with setting up arrays for Zhen Nan City and Flame Lake City might not breach the agreement on the surface.

However, if the arrays are laid down, it could alter the structure of Yangnao Land.

Should this be discovered by those old Golden Core monsters in the Southern Border, it could lead to disputes, potentially rendering previous agreements void and preemptively involving Golden Core Realm entities.